Wakeboarding is a sport which combines aspects of surfing, water skiing, skateboarding, and snowboarding. The wakeboard is longer than a skateboard but shorter than a surfboard and is used as a single water ski. Typically, boots which receive the rider""s feet are mounted to the wakeboard and require the rider to strap his or her feet into the boots.
The stance position of a rider""s feet on the wakeboard refers to the angular relationship formed between the midline (lengthwise) of the rider""s foot and the midline (lengthwise) of the wakeboard itself. The stance position is selected by the rider setting the boots in a particular fixed relationship to the wakeboard during downtime of the wakeboard.
The wakeboard binding of the invention permits quick coupling and release of the rider""s shoe to and from the wakeboard at the rider-selected angular stance position. The binding comprises a coupler for attachment to either a shoe or a wakeboard, a corresponding coupling mount attached to the other of the shoe or wakeboard. Either the coupler or the coupling mount includes a locking member, and the other includes an opening for receiving the locking member. The coupling mount and coupler are configured to engage with each other to lock the shoe onto the wakeboard while the user is wearing the shoe by a step-in motion. When engaged the locking member received within the opening prevents rotation of the shoe relative to the wakeboard. A method is provided for attaching a shoe to a wakeboard comprising the step of lockingly engaging a coupler attached to a user""s shoe to a coupler mount attached to a wakeboard by the act of the user wearing the shoe stepping onto the coupling mount on the wakeboard.